Nothing On Earth Can Protect Us From What Is to Come
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I don’t think there is anyone right now who is not in some way concerned about what’s happening in our world today
We are simultaneously facing a pandemic, economic repercussions from businesses being shut down, natural disasters, political corruption, and the threat of nuclear weaponry.
You almost can’t catch your breath from day to day, as you read the news headlines.
The question is, how do we protect ourselves from these threats coming at us from every side?
Or is this even a possiblity?
I won’t lie – there have been times when I look at the world my kids are growing up in and have been struck with fear.
I begin mentally scrambling to find ways to build protective walls against threats that could impact our family.
As if anything I dream up could protect us from any of these threats.
We see a similar story in the book of 2 Kings and mirrored for us in Isaiah 22.
King Hezekiah had received word that the Assyrian army was advancing against them, an army that struck fear in the heart of every nation on which they set their radar.
Every nation in the known world had heard of the terror of the Assyrians, and upon their arrival would either surrender without a fight and try to buy them off by promising to fully surrender to their rule or would commit suicide en mass.
Usually the latter, because suicide was a far better fate than the horrific, inhumane torture the Assyrians were known for enacting upon the citizens of the cities they conquered.
This is how terrifying the Assyrians were.
Isaiah counseled King Hezekiah not to fear, because God would fight for them. (2 Kings 19:32-34)
But Isaiah 22 opens with Israel being questioned.
They were once a boisterous and joyful city, but now they are now in preparation mode against an enemy invasion.
Assyria was a tool in God’s hand to bring judgement on God’s people. (Isaiah 10:15)
And King Hezekiah, a godly man, begins to take precautions – using science – to protect them from what was about to come.
They rerouted their water supply, which was located outside the city walls, so that the Assyrians wouldn’t discover it and try to poison it.
They tore down houses to fortify their breaches – their broken down walls.
And God said this:
But you did not look to its Maker [the water source and stones], nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago. And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Isaiah 22:11-13
The land of Judah trusted science more than they trusted God. In fact, they left God entirely out of the equation.
God was using the threat of Assyria as a tool to bring them to a place of repentance and restoration with Him. “And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth.” (Isaiah 22:12)
But instead, they took precautionary measures based on science, and then prepared for the worst.
But can I tell you something?
God wasn’t offended that they rerouted their water supply or that they fortified their city walls.
Those were practical and logical measures.
What offended Him was that they took precautionary measures and completely left Him out.
Not only did they fail to acknowledge the God who created science; who created water and the stones they used to fortify their city, but they completely ignored His call to repentance and seek His face.
God would deliver them. He is Almighty and not even Assyria could stand against Him. He wiped out 185,000 Assyrians in one night. (2 Kings 19:35)
The same is true today. Life, in most every aspect, is uncertain.
Throughout history, when the world faced a crisis, she looked to the Church for stability and hope.
However, the Church has grown so irrelevant and so void of the power of the Holy Spirit that the world no longer looks to her.
Instead, they turn to science, counselors, and psychologists for stability and hope.
Unfortunately, it’s no different in the Church than it is in the world.
Christians look as much to science to protect them as the world does; trusting in the science of medicine and psychology for stability and hope instead of the absolute truth of His Word.
But just as God was offended when Judah chose to trust in science to save her from the terrorizing army of Assyria, so God is offended when we turn to every source but His Word for hope and salvation.
Science has no power to save us.
There have been a number godly men around the world who have warned the church that the instability we are facing today is God’s warning to the Church to repent and seek His face.
But those calls have largely been answered with silence.
Instead, Christians continue to listen to news commentary, scientific studies, self-help gurus, and financial advisors as precautionary measures against the various crises we are facing right now.
And they leave God entirely out of the equation while cowering in fear at the face of an assailant – a tool – God is using to bring us to a place of repentance and revival.
They choose to ignore His call to the church: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
This is God’s call and His promise.
There is nothing on earth that can stand against the power of God; not natural disaster, political leaders, economic reversal….not even a pandemic.
He is all-powerful and nothing He has created can stand against His hand!
But dear sisters, my heart’s cry is that God does not say this about us:
“Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts.
Isaiah 22:14
God knew that they wouldn’t change until judgement came.
While Assyria didn’t conquer Judah, ultimately Babylon conquered Judah and took her captive for her iniquity (2 Kings 24) for her failure to acknowledge God alone as supreme.
May this not be repeated today.
May we not put our trust in anything other than God and God alone. May we fear nothing more than we fear God. May we respect no organization more than we respect God.
May we not trust in the arm of flesh to protect us.
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7
A Little More About Good Morning Girls and My Groups
Good Morning Girls is an online Bible study for women. Began by Courtney Joseph in her church, she took the Bible study to the Internet in 2009 and invited ladies all over America to join her in keeping each other accountable to their daily time with the Lord.
Little did she know that this Bible study would extend beyond the borders of America to literally every region of the world!!
In 2014 I joined Courtney, together with my dear friends Misty, Mandy and Bridget, in helping to lead Good Morning Girls. It has been an amazing journey as we’ve watched Good Morning Girls not only grow beyond what we could have dreamed or imagine, but we’ve had the amazing honor to see women’s lives changed by daily digging into God’s Word!
Good Morning Girls is a simple study – we simply read the Bible.
We believe that there is power in the Word of God and the Word of God alone can defeat the enemy. So we read one chapter a day 5 days a week. And we will continue this method until we’ve read through the entire Bible!!
All the materials are free and are available at Women Living Well!
In the summer of 2012 I opened the very first Good Morning Girls group in Croatia.
12 women, all members of my church.
I had no idea where it would lead. But by the following summer it exploded to cover the countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia.
How to join us
If you’d like more information about Good Morning Girls Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, you can find our blog here, follow us on Facebook. Learn about our leaders and join one of their groups here.
In 2017, my dear friend Mary and I opened up our first International study group in English. You can find us at:
Good Morning Girls in the Word on Facebook
GMG in the Word on Whatsapp
Good Morning Girls in the Word on Telegram
Or join the email group at [email protected]
I was asking God about why I have not seen many of the miracles that his followers would do. Not long ago I cam across this, http://www.freebibledownload.net/Deliverance/MassDeliveranceManual-WatchmanRadio.pdf and there are many other teaching booklets, books, and videos that pastor Win Worley wrote so that the Christians could be educated. Makes me think of Keith Green’s song Asleep in the light.